Building security sparks discussion at Raisin Twp.

Improving security in township offices touched off some testy discussion Monday at a special meeting of the Raisin Township Board.

The board unanimously authorized public safety director Scott Lambka and assistant police chief Kevin Grayer to take whatever actions they deemed necessary to secure the police department. They were also authorized to look at potential upgrades to the rest of the township offices and bring recommendations to the board.

The issue came to light after an incident earlier this month when Lambka’s office was entered, several desks and file cabinets gone through and papers thrown around. Supervisor Jay Cavanaugh said the first he had heard about the incident was through an email several days later. He said the Michigan State Police were called in to investigate, but as far as he knew, they only questioned one person.

“I’m the only person mentioned in the investigation, despite all of the other employees, board members and former employees who come through here,” he said.

Cavanaugh took issue with insinuations he was involved, saying he had been in his office during that time with his daughter, and his son was outside in the car. The supervisor said a problem faced by investigators is that no camera was in place to cover the rear hallway and no security cameras are in the offices.

“We don’t know any more than you do,” trustee Debra Brousseau said. “All we know is the Michigan State Police is investigating.”

Cavanaugh said he thinks there is a campaign outside of the offices against him. He said he is trying to do his best.

“There may be some anger from the board over the way I conducted the (February) meeting,” Cavanaugh said. “I have done my best to be professional. The claims I have made to you and to the press, I stand by them. I want to move forward as a team.”

The February board meeting included an argument between Cavanaugh and Lambka and eventually included assistant fire chief Eddie Mathis.

A week later, members of the public safety department released a letter accusing Cavanaugh of abusing his power. In a statement answering the allegations, the supervisor took the board to task, saying the allegations were wildly inaccurate and politically motivated. He also said corruption was involved, but he did not give specifics.

“I am offended. To accuse me of corruption upsets me,” trustee Larry Crittenden said. “We have to investigate. Maybe you have forgotten that you are just one vote on this board.”

Brousseau said a problem with having the discussion is the ongoing animosity within the offices. She also took Cavanaugh to task.

“We can’t seem to come to any agreements on issues without accusations. Our trust in you has been weakened and we would like to see a change in your attitude,” Brousseau said. “This is not good for the township. It’s not good for us. Employees are not happy, the staff is not happy. We have to change it.”

Trustee Dale Mitchell agreed.

“We need to quit messing around. Some people have grudges. They need to get over this,” he said.

Cavanaugh said the board needs to tell him what his parameters are. He said the state’s charter township laws give the supervisor statutory duties and he wanted to know what the board sees his role to be regarding the building security.

As for the issue, Crittenden said the security technology needs to be upgraded. Brousseau agreed, saying she was surprised to learn there was no security camera in the back hallway.

“Offices, when not being used, should be locked,” she said. “We need to respect privacy. The area needs to be more secure.”

Cavanaugh said the cost to replace all of the locks on the office doors each month would be between $300 and $600. Crittenden said he was told by Adrian Locksmith that the cost of putting in an entirely new system of pass cards and keys would cost about $2,500.

“We have to investigate the cost factor. It needs to go through the board,” Brousseau said. “There needs to be some kind of managerial control.”

Lambka and Grayer are to bring recommendations for the entire township hall to the board’s April 14 meeting. That meeting will be at 6:30 p.m.